Sometimes
by fortheinfinite
Summary: Because Slytherins don't do absolutes. Unless, of course, they do.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, George/Luna would be canon.

Sometimes, Astoria thought, the world hurt; and sometimes it shined so bright you had to close your eyes and squint to make sure that you didn't go blind. In this case, it wasn't the world but Daphne that was shining so bright that Astoria had to squint. This distinction was lost on Astoria. At eight years old, Daphne _was_ the world to her six year old sister. Daphne was the one who told funny jokes and made daisy chains with her and ate all Astoria's broccoli, even though she didn't like it any better than Astoria did. Daphne was also the one who sang songs to help Astoria sleep when their parents were fighting, and who knew all the best hiding spots for when Father was 'in a mood,' as their mother called it.

Their father wasn't mad now, though. Not when Nott had come, took one look at Daphne, all pretty and shiny in her pretty and shiny pink dress, and agreed to a betrothal for Theodore. Astoria thought Daphne would be happy, too, until she went up to her sister's room and found her on her bed, tearing at the dress and crying.

"What's wrong? Why are you hurting your dress?" Astoria cried, unable to see why anyone would want to destroy the perfection. About to continue, she saw her sister's incredulous look and fell silent.

"Don't you know what's going on, Astoria?" Daphne cried.

"How can I? You haven't talked to me the past two days," questioned Astoria, still a little miffed about the slight. Daphne's heart softened towards her little sister with that statement, and she patted the bed next to her, inviting Astoria to sit down.

"I am going to marry Theodore Nott."

Astoria's eyes grew wide, and then she said, "Can I be the bridesmaid?" Seeing that she hadn't explained it well, Daphne replied, "Yes, but the wedding isn't going to happen for a long, long time. Not until I'm at least seventeen."

"Then why are you upset now?"

"Because, what if Nott is like Father? What if I don't like him? I still have to live with him the rest of my life, all because Father wants the money." Daphne sighed, and in that moment, Astoria knew there would be no more bright shiny moments with her big sister.

Still, being six years old, she had to try. "Maybe you'll love him and he'll love you and you will live in a big, big house and have pretty little children!" Daphne smiled a sad little smile and then asked her to help her out of the dress. Astoria did, pulling on the buttons and the ribbons and the clasps. Finally, she pulled and pulled until the dress came off with a loud _RRRIPPP_. Looking at it all mussed and torn, Astoria thought, sometimes the world wasn't so bright after all.


	2. Chapter 2

Sometimes, when Astoria was walking the long corridors of Hogwarts alone, late at night, she thought she could hear ghostly echoes from the thousands of students who had passed this way before. She imagined there was a couple over in the corner, snogging and smiling at each other in that annoying way couples have. She imagined there was a boy running in front of her, late for class. She imagined that she heard footsteps behind her, slow and steady and –

_CRASH_! went a suit of armor, and Astoria whipped around. Daphne, looking slightly stunned but more annoyed, was on the ground next to the armor. Spotting Astoria, Daphne leaped up, pulled on her stunned sister's arm, and led her into an empty classroom, carefully closing the door behind her.

"What are you doing?" she hissed, keeping one ear cocked towards the door. "The Carrows took roll in the Common Room an hour ago. I had to cover for you and tell them you were sick, and then I had to give Pansy my Potions notes so she wouldn't tell them I was sneaking out, looking for you. Then I find you just wandering the halls, acting like nothing's happening. If a teacher finds you, you'll be the next person Goyle does the Cruciatus Curse on."

"Actually, I don't think McGonagall would give me a detention. Nor would Slughorn, or Flitwick, or Trelawney. The only people I have to watch out for are Snape and the Carrows," Astoria replied, ignoring her sister's question. She didn't want to tell Daphne the truth.

Unfortunately, with true sisters, even ones who barely talked during the school year, what is said matters less than what isn't. Daphne shook her head. "I know you want to help the DA. I know you think that we need to have people on both sides, so that when the war's over, the winners can help the losers. I respect that. But they are not going to accept you, so you need to come back to the common room right now and we will pretend this never happened."

Astoria could have argued. She could have said that Ginny Weasley would never be able to reject her, not because Ginny would trust her, but because the girl was too damn noble not to give someone a chance. She could have hexed Daphne and ran off and found the DA doing whatever prank they were doing that night. She might have, too, if the sisters hadn't heard Filch's slow steps creeping through the corridor. The sisters snuck into the nearest classroom and closed the door. They waited, tensed and ready to run if the doorknob turned. It didn't. As Filch moved away, the girls relaxed and looked at each other. Without saying a word, they carefully made their way down to the Common Room, changing routes twice to avoid meeting teachers. When they finally stood safely at the foot of the dormitory stairs, Astoria asked Daphne, "What happened to our agreement that we would stay away from each other?"

Rolling her eyes, Daphne replied, "That only goes into effect when one, there are people around to see and two," glaring at Astoria, "when you aren't doing stupid things that could get you in trouble." Then, seeing Zabini glancing over at the pair, she said, "Well, Astoria, I hope whoever you were sending that letter to sends you back some beauty potions. You look like you could use the help." Shooting her sister a small, concealed smile, she walked up the stairs to her room.

Sometimes Astoria wondered about the people who had gone before. Tonight, however, she was certain Hogwarts hadn't seen anyone like the Greengrass sisters before.


	3. Chapter 3

Sometimes Astoria was so jealous of Daphne that every part of her body felt it. Her hands shook from keeping them from ripping her sister's hair out, and her eyes welled with tears, and there was an incredible pressure on her chest as she looked out at Daphne and Theodore walking in the garden. She sensed her mother's presence behind her and tried to calm herself down. It wouldn't do to become too over-emotional, after all.

"They do look remarkably happy, don't they?" her mother crowed as she looked down upon her youngest. She had never really like Astoria, mostly because she looked like her father, and Astoria's mother hated him. In addition, despite the fact that the girl was in Slytherin, she never seemed to be all that ambitious. Of course, Astoria took pains not to look ambitious in front of her mother, since she knew that if she even hinted at wanting anything, her mother would make sure she wouldn't get it.

Seeing the sheen of tears in Astoria's eyes as she looked out on Theodore and Daphne, her mother continued, "Of course, Theodore has always had such excellent taste in women. It doesn't surprise me that he would choose to honor their betrothal even after all the war, rather than choose anyone inferior." With a pointed look at Astoria, her mother turned and swept away, leaving her daughter's shoulders shaking.

Astoria could barely keep the laughter contained until her mother walked away. Trust her to misconstrue the situation entirely, and with her blundering hatred, put the proper perspective on things. Turning to look out the window, Astoria no longer felt any jealousy towards her sister. Daphne deserved Theodore. Actually, Daphne deserved the best, but since that is what she thought her betrothed was, Astoria had to be happy for them. She just wished that she had someone who loved her as much as Theodore did Daphne…

Shaking off the stirring tendrils of envy, Astoria moved away from the window and sat back down at her desk. Sometimes she was jealous of Daphne, but most of the time she just wanted to make sure she had joy in her life. After all, she was her sister, and sisters needed to stick up for each other. They had made it through a lifetime of anguish by protecting each other. That wouldn't stop now.


End file.
